Gunmen demand N20 million for release of Imo magistrate

Gunmen, who abducted a magistrate in Imo State, Mrs. P. U. Adikibe, have demanded a N20 million ransom from her family before she could be released from captivity.

A family member, who spoke under anonymity, disclosed this to the media in Owerri.

He said the gunmen kidnapped Adikibe on Wednesday, along with her driver, on her way from Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, where she lives with her husband.‎

The Police, while confirming the incident, said the magistrate’s driver who was also kidnapped but later released, had made a statement on the incident, with the hope of aiding investigators apprehend the abductors.

Some lawyers who spoke with the media in Owerri regretted the alleged directive from the government, withdrawing orderlies from such judicial officers, stressing that the ‘lives of such officers were in danger,’ as their safety was no longer guaranteed.